I’m Running, or am I jogging?

I’m not really sure what the general definition of running, as opposed to jogging is, so I googled it and got to this page, among others.

I feel like I have been running, as opposed to jogging, at the gym for the last couple of weeks. I’m going at 5.3mph for about a mile and a half, but if running is going flat out then I guess I am jogging. I would love to go further but it seems that it will take me a while to do that.

So why the running/jogging? Well I have been doing my workouts at the gym for the last few months and have been really enjoying the weighlifting. With the weightlifting has come muscle building, and that’s good, but the fat loss hasn’t really happened as I would have liked considering all the calories I have burned. I look a heck of a lot better, with my clothes on anyway, but I decided to abandon the elliptical, arc trainer and stairmaster cardio workouts for something a little different.

I’ve never been much of a runner. I think I was discouraged when I used to have to run in my field hockey boots for about a mile to the nearest hockey field my school could use – during wintertime – way back in my teens. If that’s not enough to put you off, I don’t know what is!

I guess I just loved the idea of running as I grew older, but it wasn’t enough to get me to do it. How easy it is to take that workout with you anywhere – you just need your running shoes, some workout gear and you are set. No exercise DVDs required, or equipment for that matter. 

But over the last few weeks I just felt a niggling desire to run. I wasn’t sure if I could really do it – who knows when the last time was that I really tried. It had to be about two years ago and I just got the worst shin splints. I really thought I would just stop after about 5 minutes, but I kept on going. After about 12 minutes my shins started to hurt so I slowed down to a fast walk. The next workout I did the same and now after about three weeks my shins don’t hurt much at all. 

I don’t know how long it will take the before I get bored of the treadmill, but until that point I’ll just keep on running indoors.

This running stint has highlighted one thing I know to be true about myself – I need high intensity exercise to burn fat. All these months I had been working out within my target heart rate zone, and a little bit over every now and then, but no fat loss occurred. Now it has started – my neck is looking much leaner and I can see definition on my chest, back and shoulders. I wish it would hurry up to my belly and thighs though!